Rudy narrowed his eyes, staring down at Mr. Cosmo, who was fully prepared to fight him. Even with a missing eye, it looked as if Cosmo still had enough confidence to face him. It might slow him down, but that didn't mean Rudy would be able to defeat him. He needed to not allow his guard down during this fight.
He realized Skrawl was still in the room with him. Rudy had to get him to leave first. He didn't want anyone else getting hurt. Skrawl was at a huge disadvantage without his Beanie Boys. He wouldn't last that long against Cosmo.
Rudy turned his head and gave Skrawl a sideways glance. "Skrawl! Get out of here!"
Skrawl was surprised. "What? Do you really want to face this guy alone, chalk boy?"
Rudy waved his hand, gesturing for him to leave quickly. "Just go! I'll handle this guy myself!"
Skrawl still seemed hesitant to leave. Rudy wasn't entirely sure why. It wasn't like he could do much to help in the fight. He would only put himself in danger. Yes, he could hold down Cosmo, but the man was very experienced in wielding the black chalk, and he could use it against Skrawl. Zoners had a disadvantage against human artists, since they could create anything they want in midair, which means they have an endless amount of weaponry at their disposal.
"Go!" Rudy demanded, pointing towards the ledge. There had to be an exit up there somewhere he could use. After all, Cosmo and Rapsheeba both had come up from that ledge. "Leave now!"
Skrawl finally got the message. He turned and made a break for the ledge, easily scaling it even with just three limbs. Only after Skrawl was out of sight did Rudy turn his attention to Cosmo.
He and Cosmo stood several feet from each other, neither looking away. Both had their magic chalk out. Everything about this encounter was in sharp contrast. Rudy's white chalk against Cosmo's black chalk. Light sparkling against dark glowing. A teenager with a heroic heart against a man with a blackhole for a heart. One had managed to break free of the black chalk's powers, while the other embraced it. One fought for ChalkZone's freedom, but the other fought for its enslavement.
It all came down to this. All the dangers he went through, all the pain he and the others had to suffer through, all the obstacles they had to overcome, it all came down to this. It all boiled down to this confrontation. The last confrontation against Cosmo, or at least Rudy hoped. He was going to stop Cosmo here and now. No longer will he be able to hurt anyone else. No longer will he be a threat to ChalkZone. He will be stopped here.
"It is...a shame it had to come to this..." Mr. Cosmo said, smirking. "Yet I see there is no..changing your mind.." He winced in pain for a few seconds before looking at Rudy, who stared back at him with a determined expression. "Then..so be it. May our duel...begin..."
Mr. Cosmo suddenly moved forward. Rudy hadn't noticed it before, but Mr. Cosmo was limping a little, and he wondered, briefly, if Mr. Wilter had given that to him, as there was no way Snap could have hurt his leg that much. With Snap entering his mind, Rudy felt more anger rise up and he moved towards Cosmo, determined to not only stop him, but avenge Snap.
Mr. Cosmo moved his hand away from his eye. Rudy was sickened by what he saw. A swollen bulge where the knife cut into him, and a deep, bloody gash. The eye, which he knew had been sliced open, was hidden well underneath the swollen eyelids and the blood. The gash stretched diagonally across, jagged and torn.
Out the man's hand went, drawing out a weapon. To Rudy's horror, it was the same weapon that he almost killed Penny with, only with one minor change. Flames encircled the blade instead of electricity. Mr. Cosmo raised it and swung it down towards Rudy.
Reacting quickly, Rudy drew up his own weapon, a long steel sword. He put it in front of himself and grunted as Cosmo's spear struck down at him. The impact reverberated through the sword, causing him to tremble slightly. He pushed against the spear, and managed to push Cosmo back away from him.
Mr. Cosmo did not stay back for long. He came at Rudy again and struck out. Rudy countered, blocking the sword from hitting him. Again and again, the two weapons clanged together, echoing through the cave walls. Rudy felt himself being pushed back a little as Cosmo took steps towards him. But soon, Rudy pushed back, almost landing a few blows on the evil man.
Rudy wasn't used to fighting like this. But he knew he had no choice. Even if he decided to leave now, Cosmo would just chase him down and force him back into the duel he himself had initiated.
And despite not having as much experience as he could have, Rudy was still doing pretty well regardless. He held his ground, managing to avoid getting hit by the spear, blocking it each time. He wasn't getting any blows himself, but at least he was able to stand his ground regardless.
Killing was not on his mind, but if he could disable Cosmo in some way, perhaps a cut on his leg so he can't get up, Cosmo could be apprehended, taken back to the real world, and thrown in jail. He could tell the officers that Cosmo had kidnapped him, and this time, he wouldn't have to worry about looking like a fool. He had been gone so long, his parents must be worried sick about him. If he told them he was kidnapped, which was kind of the case, they would believe him.
And after everyone finds out what this man had done, there was no way he was going to get bail. Not anytime soon. And even if he does get out in a few years, who would hire him? Not many companies would risk being associated with a criminal, especially one willing to capture and hurt children. Karma bites back hard, and Cosmo was not going to be an exception.
Rudy saw an opening, seeing a moment where he could strike Cosmo's left leg. He attempted to take that chance. He struck out with his sword, but Cosmo had moved just in time. The sword barely grazed the leg, doing not much other than cutting a small hole in the pants.
"Nice try..."
Rudy looked up just in time to see Cosmo strike him with the blunt handle of his spear, right under his chin. Rudy let out a strangled cry as he was forced to bite his tongue hard. The force flung his head back and he lost his balance. He crashed into the ground, his hands splayed out at the sides.
Before he could get up, Cosmo slammed a foot against his chest, knocking the wind out of Rudy. The teenager shut his eyes tightly, clenched his teeth, and tried to pry Cosmo's foot off of him.
"You are in over your head, boy..." Mr. Cosmo sneered, pushing down harder on Rudy. "You really should have...thought about this before you decided to duel me alone..."
Rudy hated to admit it, but he was right. Even with a missing eye, a limp, and a few injuries, Cosmo was still able to remain focused enough to fight him, and even gain an edge over him in battle. He wondered if it was because of the black chalk influence, able to help him fight in spite of the disadvantages.
...but then...he still had disadvantages, and if he could exploit them, he could turn the tides in his favor.
His sword was clutched in his right hand. And the side it was on compared to Cosmo...it was on the same side as his blind eye. If Rudy could take advantage of Cosmo's blind spot, then maybe...
Rudy lifted up the sword and, before Cosmo realized what was going on, struck the blunt side against his leg, the same one he already had a limp with. The force caused Cosmo to stagger back. He clutched his leg and seethed in pain. This gave Rudy an opening and he rushed towards Cosmo. Pulling back his fist, he punched Cosmo on his chest, sending him flying backwards onto his back.
Cosmo was back on his feet in seconds. He rubbed his chest as if examining the damage. "That..is going to leave a mark." He said, more towards himself than Rudy. He took a step towards Rudy, and grunted in pain. His limp had become a bit more pronounced, and it was clear he was having a hard time ignoring the pain in his damaged left eye.
Rudy realized the black chalk was not healing Cosmo. Why was that? It didn't make any sense to him. The black chalk healed him, albeit with a hefty price. But why not Cosmo? A part of him was glad it wasn't healing him, because if it did, he'd never be able to defeat him. But another part was confused and really wanted to know what was going on.
Even though he was in a fight, he had to ask. "Why isn't the black chalk healing you?"
Mr. Cosmo widened his eye slightly. Then a smile came onto his face. "Because it only heals once.. But don't worry... I don't need it to defeat you!"
With that, Cosmo ran towards Rudy. Even with the limp, he was able move pretty quickly. Rudy held up his sword in time to block another attack from the spear. Cosmo hit at him again and again, pushing Rudy further back. Rudy attempted to push forward, but Cosmo's attacks were more relentless this time.
Finally, Rudy was pushed up against the wall, his back pressed on the cold surface. Cosmo's spear was pushing hard against his sword, almost pinned against his chest now. With widened eyes and gritted teeth, Rudy stared at Mr. Cosmo. Although Rudy's gaze held fear, it held a lot more determination, and he attempted to push back.
"You do not have enough experience to defeat me, Tabootie... You wasted all your time making friends with these worthless creatures that you didn't spend enough time honing your skills..." Mr. Cosmo said in a sneer. He was so close that his breath hit against Rudy each time he spoke. "If you were to join me, I could teach you all I know... You'll become...unstoppable."
"If I become unstoppable...while becoming like you..." Rudy said through his gritted teeth. "Then I decline!"
A black flash in Cosmo's eye. "Then so be it..."
Suddenly, Cosmo took a step back. It happened so fast that Rudy was unable to stop himself from pushing forward. With Cosmo out of the way, he suddenly tripped forward. His feet and arms flailed as he tried to keep his balance. Then he screamed as he felt a sharp pain in his back and realized he had been struck by Cosmo's spear.
He winced at the burned injury, which hurt even more as blood seeped from the small gash and began to cover it. Rudy turned around just in time to see Cosmo rushing at him again. Rudy brought up his sword, catching the man's spear against it. This time, he managed to catch the spear in a wedge, between two serrated sections of the spear.
Mustering his strength, Rudy pulled upwards as hard as he could. Cosmo's spear was pulled away from his hands. It flew up onto the air and struck against a stalactite. The spear got stuck, but the force caused a small piece of the stalactite to fall down. Rudy and Cosmo both moved back as the piece crashed between them, kicking up dust.
Mr. Cosmo was momentarily distracted as most of the dust hit against him. Rudy took this chance and raced around and towards him. Coming at Cosmo's left side where he couldn't see him, Rudy slammed his body against Cosmo, pushing the man back.
Cosmo staggered and looked over, turning his head enough so his right eye could see what was happening. He widened his eyes in shock when he saw Rudy coming at him with the sword. The blunt side struck against his arm, forcing him to cry out in pain and tumble back, though still managing to stay on his feet. Cosmo shook his head and got out his black chalk.
Before he could do anything, Rudy grabbed his wrist as he slammed against him again. This time, Rudy managed to pin Cosmo against the wall, using all his strength to keep the man's hand pinned, unable to draw anything. Rudy knew he was taking a huge risk. If the black chalk touched him again, he could become corrupted. But he knew he had to do this. He had to apprehend Cosmo.
Suddenly, Cosmo slammed his knee into Rudy's stomach. Reeling back, putting his hand on his stomach, Rudy was unable to stop Cosmo from kicking him in the side, sending him flying across the ground. When Rudy got up, his eyes widened in horror as he saw Mr. Cosmo had drawn his next weapon. A cannon. Jetting all along it were red hot flames. It was like it was crossed over with a flamethrower.
And it was aimed right at him.
"Are you sure you still want to..do this boy?" Mr. Cosmo said as he stood behind the cannon. "I do not wish to kill you because you...still have potential. Why don't you give up now...before you get really hurt?"
Another attempt to coax him to his side. Rudy only needed to remind himself of the atrocities this man had commited in the past few days for him to decide on the answer.
"No. I won't give up.."
"...okay then." Mr. Cosmo shrugged. He lit the fuse and the cannon started spewing flames off the side. A fireball started to form. "Suit yourself."
Rudy stood his ground, his white magic chalk out in preparation to deal with this oncoming threat. The flames shot out, and he quickly began to draw.
sss
It had been a while since Penny had last drawn a living creature with the magic chalk. Yet despite that, she was able to draw a large, flying bird for them to ride Snap to the hospital on. The bird wasn't a condor, but instead a large red and white eagle with black tipped tail and wing feathers. It towered over her and Rapsheeba easily.
She had seen that Biclops was injured again. A bloody bitemark on his leg and two on his arm told the whole story. Draow had attacked him and managed to injure him enough that he couldn't stop the beast from flying into the cave. Rapsheeba had relayed the story on how Cosmo had taken Snap when they were still in the tunnel looking for them, and how Draow had shown up to provide distraction.
Penny was happy to see that Biclops was on his feet again. Though he limped, he was able to get around at least. Not like before where he had temporarily lost a leg.
Biclops hadn't been only one injured by Draow. Penny had seen Tsere leaning against the cave with a huge wound on his wing. It was still dripping fresh blood. She was about to do something for the pterosaur when Biclops urged her to take Snap to the hospital. The giant offered to treat Tsere's injuries himself as he had some large medical supplies that would work.
Although Penny would have wanted to help, she knew getting Snap to the hospital was much more urgent. That blow to his head...if it wasn't going to end up being fatal, it would have caused his condition to become so much worse. She could still hear his cry of pain, the sound of his body sickenly crashing against the rocky ground, all the while Cosmo just staring at him with contempt like he was just a piece of garbage.
As they took off in the air on the back of the large eagle, Penny sometimes looked back at Snap, who was being held in Rapsheeba's arms. Everytime she saw him, her heart ached, and she had to choke back a sob. It was horrifying that, somehow, Snap managed to look even worse. Everytime she thought she had seen him at his lowest, Mr. Cosmo had done something even worse.
This was not like before, when he had passed out from the fever. Then, he had sometimes moved, either by moving a limp, his head, or even squeezing his eyes shut. He would sometimes be having a nightmare, and he'd cry in his sleep. Although he looked terrible, at least it was evident he was still alive.
But now...he didn't move at all...except for his chest as he took in shallow breaths. Other than that, he was completely lifeless, laying there as Rapsheeba held onto him. No muscle twitches. No flinches from pain or fear. He was absolutely still. The only way anyone could tell he was still alive was if they either checked him close enough to realize he was still breathing, or check his pulse, which was very weak and thready.
And when they had arrived at the hospital, it wasn't like they could take him in right away. Cosmo's attack had damaged a lot more than at first glance, with much of the building out of power. One such room that no longer had power was the emergency room, which was where Snap needed to go.
Penny had done all she could to help. She might not have been as good as Rudy at drawing, but she did know her technology and, though it took some time, she was able to draw a new power source for the hospital to use temporarily while the main power was being fixed.
Dr. Urso had been horrified when Penny told him that Snap had been kicked in the head, right where the device had been lodged into him. The news brought tears to Rapsheeba's eyes. She looked down at the unconscious zoner and stroked the top of his head getnly.
The lion bear immediately called a group of doctors over. They pushed a stretcher with them. Dr. Urso took Snap and placed him on the stretcher, carefully strapping him in to secure him. The doctors then rushed down the room, taking Snap directly to the emergency room.
When the doctors disappeared, Dr. Urso turned to Penny and Rapsheeba. "We didn't want to do this, but I am afraid we have no choice."
The two girls' eyes widened and prepared for the worst.
"We would rather have waited to take that thing out of his head. His fever might..no...it will complicate things. But..." Dr. Cosmo gritted his teeth sadly. "There is no alternative now. If that device was kicked like you said, then it had gotten deeper into his brain. It needs to be removed as soon as possible..."
"What..what might happen with him having surgery with a high fever...?" Penny asked hesitantly. From the look in the lion bear's eyes, it was nothing good.
Dr. Urso winced at this question. "Right now, his body is very weak, and the fever is making it much worse. The damaged neurological system isn't helping either. Having surgery now is a huge risk and he...might not pull through..."
Penny gasped and shook her head in disbelief. "No..."
Rapsheeba was no better. Her eyes were already red from crying.
Dr. Urso closed his eyes. "I am sorry. But either we operate now and take the risk...or we risk losing him anyway. It is best we...try the surgery because...he'll have a sliver of a chance to survive."
The lion bear looked at the two girls sympathetically as they cried, horrified by this news. He took a step forward and placed a paw on each of their shoulders in an attempt to comfort them. He put on the best smile that he could, despite the dire situation.
"Don't worry..we are going to do all we can to save your friend."
Penny wiped away a tear and nodded her head. She wanted to smile, to show that she appreciated his attempts at consoling her. But as she stared in the direction Snap was taken, she couldn't stop her chest from clenching, and tried her best to resist the lump in her throat.
Sometimes, reality was a terrible thing.
sss
Rudy hated to use the ice cannon again. The very thought of it sent chills down his spine. He remembered how he had used it to kill the zoners. Cosmo had made a few remarks about that, clearly caring little about his zoners that died, and instead was more impressed that Rudy had gotten the 'courage' to slaughter them in the first place. The thought disgusted the teenager.
But Rudy had lost his sword, melted away by the fiery cannon that Cosmo was using. And the best way he felt to fight fire was with its polar opposite. Ice. He swallowed his fear as he drew the ice cannon again. This time, being drawn by him while he wasn't so possessed, the ice cannon was no longer a spooky red, but instead was a pale slate blue, more reflecting the element of ice more than the original cannon.
Rudy positioned himself behind the ice cannon and began to fire. Cool streams of ice flew into the air, contrasting sharply with the fiery heat of Cosmo's fire cannon. The two elements clashed into each other, intermixing before cancelling each other out. Again and again they hit each other. Lots of steam rose into the air as a result of this elemental battle.
A few times, Rudy had to duck because he wasn't always fast enough to stop the fire. Hot flames whipped above his head, almost catching his hair on fire. The heat was intense, and he could feel it almost burning his skin and irritating his back wound.
But even Cosmo had to dodge a few times when Rudy managed to get the ice past the fire and towards him. He could see Cosmo clearly wincing, the chilling effect of the ice effecting him. But like Rudy, he remained unharmed, despite how close he had been to being hit.
Aftera few minutes of this, Rudy realized he couldn't keep it up forever. Sooner or later, he was going to slip up. His hands were getting tired from all the aiming, and Cosmo was shooting faster and more unpredictably. To try to get an edge, Rudy aimed the cannon in a new direction, which was upwards towards the stalactites above. He shot a stream of cold ice up there, striking the ceiling.
But unfortunately, Cosmo had the very same idea. Fire struck above Rudy as his cannon was firing still. Screaming, Rudy jumped out of the way, shielding his head as chunks of rock fell onto him. A piece of stalactite fell down, crushing his cannon. Cosmo also had to flee his weapon as rock rushed his fire cannon into dust. The two coughed for a few minutes until the dust settled down.
"Very impressive..." Mr. Cosmo said, his right eye brightening a little. "I was right to...take interest in you.."
Rudy snarled at this compliment, which felt more like a jab in the stomach than anything good.
Mr. Cosmo ignored Rudy's response as he started to walk over to him, limping a little in the process. Although he sometimes acted as if his left eye wasn't hurting him, it was clear it still was as Cosmo put his hand back over it, wincing and seething in pain. But Cosmo's fixation on Rudy helped him cope with the pain...most of the time.
"Why don't you reconsider...? If you agree to join me...I promise I won't hurt any of your friends anymore.. I won't touch Snap ever again..." Mr. Cosmo offered, giving a smug smile at the boy. "Think about it... We can end this silly conflict right here and now. I don't wish to keep fighting you, Rudy. So let's end it..."
Rudy couldn't believe that, even after all that has happened, even after the atrocities this monster committed and gotten away with, he still had the audacity to try to coax him onto his side. Rudy snarled and jerked away from the man, his eyes practically oozing with hatred.
"I refuse to have anything to do with you..." Rudy hissed at him. "And I will never join you..."
Mr. Cosmo froze, staring at the boy. The smile slowly faded away, replaced with a blank expression. Rudy started to feel uncomfortable, unsure of what to make of this. He couldn't tell if Cosmo was going to attack or what. Then, slowly, Mr. Cosmo's eyes narrowed dangerously, and it was quite clear to Rudy that any and all attempts at negotiation was going to stop right then.
"Then so be it...You have made your choice..." Mr. Cosmo spoke softly as his hand reached into his pocket. "I really didn't want to do this...but you left me with no choice, Rudy."
Without warning, Mr. Cosmo lunged forward, gripping Rudy's left wrist and yanking him forward. Rudy didn't have time to react when a sharp pain swept through his hand. He looked down and gasped in horror and pain as Mr. Cosmo plunged his knife deep into Rudy's palm, the sharp tip peaking out from behind his hand. Mr. Cosmo kept in there before yanking it out.
Overwhelmed by pain, Rudy dropped to his knees, his magic chalk slipping out of his hand. He felt his throat being grabbed and he was shoved into the ground, onto his back. He looked up and watched Mr. Cosmo glaring down at him.
"I cannot allow you to interfere with my plans, Rudy... If you refuse my generous..offer, then I have no choice but to get rid of you. I am not going to afford the same mistake I did years ago. I will not let you go..like I had with Wilter..."
Rudy looked up at Cosmo with a mixture of fear and pain. This caused Cosmo to pause for a moment, and Rudy felt unnerved by the smile that soon came.
"You know.." Mr. Cosmo said. "This is just the way Ms. Saffron looked before she died..."
Rudy's eyes widened at this statement.
Mr. Cosmo raised his knife into the air, positioning it over Rudy's chest. The boy's eyes filled with horror as he realized what was about to happen. Mr. Cosmo hissed, "Say hello to Ms. Saffron for me..."
The knife plunged downward. Rudy screamed and turned his head, eyes shut tightly, as he waited for the blow.